Morning Notes

Mark Center Parking Capped — A roughly 2,000 spot parking cap is being put in place at the Mark Center in Alexandria, thanks to language placed in a federal appropriations bill. The cap should avert a feared traffic congestion nightmare around the Mark Center, located at the Seminary Road exit off of I-395. Thousands of Department of Defense jobs from Arlington and elsewhere are being transferred to the Mark Center, but transportation infrastructure improvement projects around the Center are still underway. [Rep. Jim Moran]

Ballston BID’s New Director — The new Ballston Business Improvement District formally announced last week that it has hired Tina Leone as its first executive director. Leone was previously president and CEO of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce. [Ballston BID]

Cemetery Transfer May Not Be Necessary — A federal review of operations at Arlington National Cemetery concluded last week that a proposed transfer of the cemetery from the Army to the Dept. of Veterans Affairs may no longer be necessary. [Washington Post]

All this will do is cause dozens of drivers to mill about searching for an open spot….and then it will spill over onto side streets. This is the stupidest plan ever out of the government. By all means, lets consolidate our offices to save money…but lets do it by moving them all onto the most expensive real estate in the country!

Josh S

The cost of the land is only one part of the overall calculation.

Also, it’s not like you could consolidate people to Front Royal. Land is expensive around here. Get over it.

Burger

Think a little harder.

Money is zero sum game –

Expensive land means less money that can be used for the building or in this case a smaller parking lot.

Smaller parking lot means more people utilizing different locations to park.

drax

Exactly. The only way a parking cap could help is if the spaces are reserved. Those who don’t have a reserved space would know not to drive.

charlie

thanks to the City of Alexandria, MORE CARS are on the road.
I have friends who took the subway to their jobs in Crystal City. Now they drive. I have another friend who drives halfway, parks their car in a south arlington neighborhood and then takes the bus from there (once the bus connection is reasonable).
Mass Transit to Mark Center SUCKS.

G Clifford Prout

So that’s who is parking in front of my house !

b0rk

It really is awful. It took me over an hour to bus from Mark Center to the Pentagon back to South Arlington. Throw some rush hour traffic into the mix and BAM you’re screwed.

Why these idiots didn’t put this center in Springfield by the Metro stop is beyond me… I guess if it makes sense it is automatically vetoed by the powers that be.

ArlingtonGirl

Any word on where the accident was last night that caused the power outage along lee highway?

Swag

It really bothers me that the spacing is different on those two signs.

charlie

and why is it a Pentagon Memorial? Isn’t a 9/11 Memorial?

OX4

I find the faux vignetting even more annoying.

jeremy

It’s got to be on Joyce facing Columbia Pike – where the Citgo was – that place is a mess right now…any word on what’s going in that spot?

2,000 spaces WOW! The drivers just have to get to them and keep those going into DC in traffic. WOW! and in the afternoon the outpouring of 2000 vehicles on to Boureauguard(sp), that should be fun too. Love this govt.